Unnamed Girl - 6 yo - (2009) / Convicted: Jeffrey Trantham Ellicott City MD

Posted at 09:35 AM ET, 03/18/2011

Md. man admits abusing child

By Maria Glod


A 24-year-old Howard County man admitted in federal court that he sexually abused a young girl, broadcast live images of her over the Internet and sent sexually explicit photos of the child to at least three people online.

Jeffrey Trantham, 24, of Ellicott City, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to sexually exploiting a child to produce child pornography and possession of child pornography.

According to court papers, Howard County police officers searched Trantham’s home in December 2009 after they learned that someone in Canada received images of a man who appeared to be Trantham sexually abusing a child.

Trantham later admitted that he abused the girl in August and September 2009, according to a plea agreement. Prosecutors said in court papers he told the girl to keep the contact a secret “because he would get in trouble and have to go to jail for a very long time.”

Federal authorities said in court papers that more than 600 images of child pornography were found on Trantham’s computer. Many of the images portrayed “sadistic or masochistic conduct, or other depictions of violence,” according to the plea agreement.

Trantham is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, federal authorities said. They said a conviction for producing child pornography carries a maximum sentence of 30 years, and a conviction for possession of child pornography carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Trantham must register as a sex offender.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/md-man-admits-abusing-child/2011/03/17/AB7Z2hp_blog.html

Ellicott City man jailed for sexually exploiting girl, 6

Given 40-year term; also to be sentenced in Howard County for raping child

By Kellie Woodhouse

Posted 5/13/11

A 24-year-old Ellicott City man was sentenced in federal court Friday to 40 years in prison for sexually exploiting a 6-year-old girl to produce child pornography and for possessing child pornography.

Jeffrey Trantham previously had admitted to sexually abusing a child, taking photos and videos of the abuse, and distributing the material to people he met through the Internet.

On Monday, Trantham will be sentenced in Howard County Circuit Court for raping the child, a conviction that could net up to 20 years in prison.

“The sentencing today of Jeffrey Trantham sends a strong message that law enforcement will not tolerate such despicable crimes,” William Winter, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigator who worked on the case, said in a statement. “Our children have an absolute right to grow up free from the fear of sexual exploitation.”

Trantham admitted to Howard County police that for two months in 2009, when he was 22, he repeatedly abused the 6-year-old. He said he took nude photos of the child and live-broadcasted the child, in sexually compromising positions, to viewers on the Internet, according to federal prosecutors.

Trantham told police that he ordered the child not to tell anyone “because he would get in trouble and have to go to jail for a very long time,” federal prosecutors said.

Police were originally tipped off about Trantham’s illegal activity when he sent images of his abuse to someone in Canada.

When police searched Trantham’s home, they found a video from August 2009 that showed Trantham convincing the child to engage in sexual conduct while being videotaped. Additionally, more than 600 images and several videos of child pornography — many of which also depicted acts of violence — were found on Trantham’s computer, according to federal prosecutors.

After his release from prison, Trantham must register as a sex offender.

http://www.explorehoward.com/news/84408/ellicott-city-man-gets-40-year-jail-term-sexually-exploiting-girl-6/